Saints captain Mario O’Connor has made it clear that his team is determined to settle the score. After falling to Blown in last year’s semi-finals, Saints will get their shot at revenge when the two teams clash for the KPMG Squash League title at the Liguanea Club on Friday.

"It was always a dream to try and make it to the finals and win it. This year, we're playing Blown, which is kind of a rematch from last year’s semi-finals. We lost then, and they went on to win, so we’re hoping to exact revenge this time—play a little smarter and get it done. We’re going for it,” O’Connor said.

The semi-finals, played simultaneously on adjacent courts, delivered high-intensity action that had vociferous supporters on edge.

Blown edged Swift Swingers 2-1 in a fiercely contested tie. Swift Swingers, who had swept Blown 3-0 in the group stage, started strong as captain Andre Wright secured a 3-1 win over Andrew Bicknell (18/21, 21/11, 21/16, 21/20).

With their title defense on the line, Blown needed a response. Captain Jake Mahfood stepped up, battling to a hard-fought straight-sets victory over junior player Ethan Miller (21/19, 21/18, 23/20). The decisive match pitted veteran Fitzroy Smith against the younger and fitter Fraser McConnell. Smith stormed to a two-game lead, but McConnell dug deep, using his endurance to mount a comeback and win 3-2 (23/21, 21/20, 13/21, 6/21, 11/21).

Mahfood admitted their fortunes in coming out tops.

"It definitely could have gone either way. Our star player, Andrew, lost the first match, so we were a bit worried. But Fraser pulled off an amazing victory—down two-love and then coming back three-two using his fitness was really impressive. We’re just grateful for the win, and we’re looking forward to an exciting final," he said.

Meanwhile, Saints secured their place in the final for the first time since 2018 with a 2-1 win over JDF in what was arguably the more dramatic semi-final.

O’Connor fought hard but fell to JDF’s Derrian Barrant in a five-set thriller (19/21, 15/21, 21/20, 21/15, 13/21). However, Saints evened the tie when the experienced and well-conditioned Jerry Bell overcame JDF captain Jemel Sterling 3-1 (16/21, 21/18, 21/19, 21/20).

With the final spot on the line, Saints’ Leigh Dwyer faced Orville Bennett, who had vowed to take down the defending champions if JDF reached the final. Bennett won the first game, but Dwyer’s firepower proved too much, as he rallied to win 3-1 (14/21, 21/17, 21/16, 21/16).

The final is scheduled for 6:00pm.